Victim: “It’s finally over and I can finally move on with my life”

By Aldo Amato

MURFREESBORO – A woman accused of raping her children while living in Murfreesboro more than a decade ago was convicted six counts of child rape Friday afternoon.

Angela Elizabeth Montgomery was found guilty on six counts of rape of a child. Montgomery was charged with raping her own two children multiple times when she lived in Rutherford County more than a decade ago.

Montgomery’s bond was revoked and she was taken into custody.

“It’s finally over and I can finally move on with my life,” child rape victim Alan Von Webb said as he left Judge Royce Taylor’s courtroom in tears.

Von Webb gave approval to the Daily News Journal to be publicly identified as a victim in the case. The newspaper typically does not name victims of sexual assault.

Von Webb, his girlfriend and his family cried as Judge Taylor read the jury’s verdict which was returned around 3:30 p.m. on Friday.

Members of the jury, who deliberated for more than six hours, also cried upon returning to Taylor’s courtroom.

Montgomery was indicted in December 2012 after Murfreesboro Police Department detectives were contacted about the alleged rapes and assaults.

She was initially charged with two counts of child rape by Murfreesboro Police Detective Wayne Lawson after her two children gave the detective “detailed statements” about rapes and sexual assaults they said they suffered at the hands of their mother when they lived in Murfreesboro more a decade ago.

She was charged with 20 counts of rape of a child, six counts of rape, 12 counts of incest and two counts coercion of a witness, according to court records.

Montgomery was extradited from Oregon, where she now lives, to Murfreesboro where she later posted a $10,000 bond.

Nine women and five men were selected Tuesday to serve on the jury. After the selection, jurors heard testimony from Von Webb, Montgomery’s biological son.

He told jurors he was first sexually assaulted around the time he started learning about sex education in school.

“I thought it was normal,” he said during his testimony on Tuesday. “All the time I thought it was normal until I talked to other kids.”

Von Webb said the hours he waited for the verdict to be returned Friday felt like a continuous muscle cramp.

“I’ve been waiting for this day for a long time,” he said. “I hope she knows she can’t hurt anyone anymore.”

Assistant District Attorney’s Hugh Ammerman and Sarah Davis were the lead prosecutors in the case.

Ammerman said he was proud of Von Webb’s courage.

“I’m glad (Von Webb) knows even though justice was delayed, it wasn’t lost,” Ammerman said. “I’m very proud of him.”

Von Webb thanked all those involved in the case including the Rutherford County District Attorney’s Office, MPD Detective Tommy Roberts, Detective Wayne Lawson and his friends and family that supported him throughout the process.

“I feel like this is a new beginning,” Von Webb said with a big smile. “This is where I start over.”